Portman still No. 1 on Hotline veep list, but Pawlenty, Ryan moving up | Bellingham Herald

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman's still number one, but former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's moving up fast.

That's the assessment of where potential Republican vice presidential candidates stand in the National Journal Hotline's latest assessment.

"Pawlenty is getting more attention than conventional wisdom holds, according to our sources. He was once angling for a spot in Romney's Cabinet; now, he's sounding like he wants the job," the Hotline writes Monday.

Also moving up is Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee. Ryan "makes more sense and may be closer to Romney than most people believe," the analysis said.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is not expected to announce his choice of a running mate until late August. The Republican convention begins in late August.

Moving down the list was the previous number two, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and number three, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, now fifth.

"The same questions about Rubio's relatively thin resume we raised months ago remain. But no one has consistently campaigned for the job as much as Rubio has -- despite his staff's denial," the analysis said.

Then again, the magazine reminded, at this stage of other election cycles, no one saw potential nominees on any list--think of then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP vice presidential nominee in 2008.

Here's the complete article: http://nationaljournal.com/politics/your-favorite-vice-hotline-s-veepstakes-power-rankings-20120610